BONDY BRINGS OUT TEAM’S BEST
Coach ‘couldn’t be prouder’ as Lajeunesse pays respect to late captain at OFSAA
It wasn’t a gold-medal chase that inspired the Lajeunesse Royals.
Hosting the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations girls’ A volleyball championship, a young Lajeunesse squad knew it was a long-shot to make it to the podium, but the 15th-seeded Royals wanted to put in a performance that would make former team captain Lauren Bondy proud.
Bondy lost her battle with cancer in December at the age of 16 and getting back on the court and back into action was no easy feat for the Royals.
“It was definitely tough,” 16-year-old Megan Gahima said. “For a while, I didn’t want to come to practice half the time.
“She’s the reason I tried out for that team. She’s the reason I’m playing volleyball all the time. I was playing with her. It was hard to go on, but I knew that I had to for her.”
The Royals captured the Windsor and Essex County Secondary Schools Athletic Association title by battling back from a set down to win in five sets.
“At WECSSAA, we won because the ball just trickled over the net and we all believe that was (Bondy) putting the ball over,” Gahima said. “It’s just like on the court. She always helped us.” Shaking off losses to two of the top five seeds in the tournament Monday, the Royals beat No. 18 Brampton Christian Academy 2-0 by scores of 25-7 and 25-11 before completing pool play Tuesday with a 2-0 loss to No. 12 Timmins by scores of 25-20 and 25-21, but that was enough to advance the team to the consolation round.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” Royals head coach Sonia Lapierre said. “It’s just their strength this year because of what they’ve overcome. “They’re able to show up at the gym every day, although it was hard and mentally up and down, but they were able to come here and put up a really good performance.”
Bondy’s parents, Rosaire and Tammy, stayed close to the team. They purchased pullover OFSAA hoodies for each team member with the initials L.B. and her No. 14 on the sleeve.
The Royals also kept her in mind. The official logo for the tournament features the Windsor skyline in all black and a purple star with the No. 14 on the right side.
“We decided to dedicate this OFSAA to her because OFSAA was her dream,” said Lapierre, who along with her players wore a white ribbon on her wrist with Bondy’s initials and number. “She really wanted to fight until OFSAA was here. She wanted to be here with us no matter what and unfortunately she didn’t have the chance to be here physically, so we made sure she was in other ways.”
Before each game, the Royals emerged from the dressing room and went past a sign that read, ‘Do It for Lauren.’
“We always kissed it and hit our hand on the ‘Do It for Lauren’ sign,” 16-year-old McKay Colombe said. “We wanted to keep her in our minds the whole time.”
Lajeunesse’s tournament run came to an end in the consolation quarter-finals with a 3-0 loss to No. 4 Quinte Christian by scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-19, but there was no disappointment.
“This was her dream to be here at OFSAA,” Colombe said of Bondy. “I find it hard because knowing Lauren wanted to do this so much and her not being here. I go through her text messages and all she ever wanted to talk about was OFSAA, OFSAA. She was super excited for it.
“So it’s hard her not being here, but at the same time it’s going to be so much better to know that we came and we played hard. We didn’t quit this season. We just came and did the best we could for her and that’s going to help us a lot.”
Often starting one Grade 9 player, three in Grade 10 and two in Grade 11, this Lajeunesse team will only get better in time and Bondy will continue to serve as an inspiration throughout that process.
“It doesn’t define us that she had cancer and passed and it doesn’t define her,” Lapierre said. “The message we want to have is the determination she had.
“She just kept smiling. It was never about her. She was sick when she played for me. She’d been sick for four years. She was sick when she played for us, but that was a kid that showed up at the gym with a smile and just happy to be there. Determined, always positive and thinking of other people.”
They’re able to show up at the gym every day, although it was hard and mentally up and down, but they were able to come here and put up a really good performance.